Unmasking The Haunting, Gothic Melodies of Morbus Tenebris

I enjoy losing myself in gothic melodies and if you do too, then you’ll take great delight in listening to Morbus Tenebris. This music project is the brainchild of Benjamin Fouché who embarked on this venture in 2018. Since then, he has released a trio of albums, as well as books to accompany them. Here, I give a closer peek at the artist’s work.

Morbus Tenebris made its debut with Shadows on the Wall, followed by Eternal Night and Corruption Immortal. I’ve played all three and as soon as the opening track, “Lost at Midnight,” of the first album resounded from my speaker, I was drawn in. The sounds immediately gave me eerie vibes, proclaiming there was an ominous story to be told.

I appreciate when music can transport me to another realm, and that’s what Fouché accomplishes in his work. It made me feel as if I was in the midst of spooky season at a fall festival. These tracks would be excellent played in haunts and at Halloween attractions. However, his pieces are also great streaming as background music while you’re working, lounging or doing something creative. I like listening to dark ambient music as I write, and I can tell that the albums of Morbus Tenebris would be great to have on.

I also enjoy listening to music as I read and, as I mentioned, Fouché has penned tales to go along with each album. They’re inspired by 19^th-century gothic literature, and while I’ve only had a chance to get a glimpse of them, they seem quite chilling.

I recommend Morbus Tenebris for fans of Midnight Syndicate and Nox Arcana. Interestingly, Fouché has been mentored by the individuals behind those projects, but I won’t say more since he elaborates on that in our interview. In the following Q & A, the artist discusses how he got his start, what inspires his creativity and much more!

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Q: Let’s take it back to the beginning. What motivated you to start your music project, Morbus Tenebris?

A: I suppose the seeds were sown throughout various periods of my life. As a child, I remember making up simple melodies on the piano—they were always in a minor key and had little backstories that went with them. My grandfather attempted to teach me piano at age 11, but I had trouble reading the music and grew disinterested—but this didn’t stop me from continuing to play around with the piano. I also listened to game soundtracks primarily during my childhood. 

Later on, I was introduced to the haunting music of Midnight Syndicate and Nox Arcana. Interestingly, I’m friends with both artists—and they played a very important role in inspiring me to compose my own music eventually. Edward Douglas has been encouraging me for over a decade. Joseph Vargo of Nox Arcana has also been by my side since the beginning, and I’ll never be able to thank him enough for his artistic guidance and mentorship—he’s truly gone above and beyond to help me grow. In December of 2017, I decided that creating my own music was something I wanted to pursue seriously—and thus, Morbus Tenebris was born in the cold, gloomy month of January 2018.

Q: What is it about the gothic genre, in literature and music, that you appreciate?

A: I appreciate the escape that the Gothic genre offers. We already live in a world of unutterable horrors and tragedies, and sometimes it’s pleasant to leave this world behind for a moment and travel somewhere else. In the baleful realms of Gothic fiction, we can forget the things we fear in reality and be afraid of whatever our imagination conjures forth—and also become lost in a completely different world. 

The aesthetics is another aspect that I deeply appreciate. There’s something profoundly beautiful about a forgotten house accumulating dust and harboring secrets from the past—or a tragic romance that still haunts a lover. Of course, these themes are as old as anyone can remember, and I think humans have been drawn to them for a very long time. The Gothic genre is so poetic in nature—and it lingers with us like a ghost well after we’ve enjoyed the piece of art—whether a story, poem, song, or painting.

Q: I find it fascinating that you’ve written stories to accompany your albums. Can you talk a bit about the process? Do the music ideas come first and inspire the fiction or vice versa?

A: I would say that it’s been a very different process every time. “Shadows on the Wall” was initially an album with a vague idea for a story—and that story eventually transfigured into a novel. The songs in “Eternal Night” were composed long after the stories in the book of the same name were written.  “Corruption Immortal” was also very different in that I went through periods of writing the stories in the book and composing the music for the album. Sometimes the songs inspired a story—and other times a story inspired a song. The best words to describe my creative process would be “chaotic” and “changing.”

Q: Do you feel your sound and style have evolved over the years since you started? If so, how?

A: Originally, my music was more traditionally Gothic—blending organs, choirs, strings, pianos, celestas, bells, and harpsichords. But by the second album, I subtly added a few sci-fi soundscapes and synthesizers to give a slight impression of otherworldliness. By the third album, I embraced more unworldly-sounding synthesizers to delve into ethereal regions and desolate, alien planets. Kenji Yamamoto—composer of the Metroid Prime soundtracks—was a huge influence, as I had listened to his music since preschool. In the end, Morbus Tenebris has become a strange union of the different genres of music I enjoy. What I’ve learned over the years is that experimentation is ultimately how one grows as a musician.

Q: You choose excellent titles for your pieces, such as “Sanguivoriphobia” and “Phantom Corrosion.” What have been some of your favorite tracks to create, and why?”

A: Thank you. I’m not quite sure how to answer that. Every song has had its own creative process. But if I had to choose a few favorites from my memories of working on them, I would say that “Nyctophobia” was one of the first ones I had a great deal of fun composing. “Shadow Empire” was also satisfying to work on—some of my best songwriting memories come from that one. “Terminal Corruptor” was another exciting one. Interestingly, the chorus melody from this song came from an unused score I wrote for an independent film. When the producers decided they didn’t want to use it in their film, I decided to elaborate on the song and turn it into the climax of “Corruption Immortal.”

Q: Because we’re a community of spooky souls, I have to ask, what are some of your favorite ways to celebrate Halloween?

A: Carving pumpkins is a tradition I absolutely love. I also enjoy spending time with family and friends on Halloween. Although I’m introverted in many ways, there are occasionally some days when I like to be with other people—and Halloween is one of them. Giving out candy to trick-or-treaters is another tradition I relish. I look back to all of the wonderful childhood Halloweens I had and some of the most memorable houses my brothers and I encountered. Now, as an adult, I want to recreate that for the next generation—so they have fun Halloween memories to hold on to. Creating an atmosphere in the yard with lights, fog machines, props, and (of course) music is also a favorite tradition. If it’s raining, I like to visit retro, virtual haunt websites such as Frightbytes.com. Marilyn Buck—the webmistress of this site—has actually been a friend of mine for over a decade and has been supporting me since the beginning.

Q: Before we part, what does Morbus Tenebris have in store for the future?

A: Unfortunately, being in my final year of college and working two jobs, I find my creative time has become very limited at the moment.  But—slowly—there are new creative projects I am starting. The next album will be deep-sea themed and explore the mysterious reality of the ocean—and possibly the unknown marine life swimming in the lightless waters beneath its surface. The next book will also explore the same theme.

Where to Stalk

Morbus Tenebris official website

Spookinite Valley (The website for Benjamin Fouché’s books.)